Friday, January 25, 2008

Kitty update.

Thanks to all who have expressed kind wishes for my cat (and sympathetic wishes for me). As a recap, she has been peeing outside the box, licking fur off her tummy (which I'm told can be a form of self-comfort in the face of stress, perhaps induced by moving and by the lack of Mr. P's presence for most of the fall), and she seems to have some kind of urinary tract something or other.

I managed to get her back to the vet's for the follow-up appt. this morning - which took two hours - without her peeing in the cat carrier (!).
They aren't convinced that she has a UTI, though they are keeping her on the abx (they did a culture, and it didn't grow anything, but they think it might just be difficult to grow. Huh. So much I don't know about medicine.). She has had bloodwork and x-rays, and she will be having an ultrasound this afternoon to make sure that she doesn't have a mass in her bladder.

Meanwhile, there are plans to put her on kitty anti-depressants. (Stifling negative thoughts, taking vitamins, and fighting for social change just doesn't work so well for kitties.) On the drug information the vet gave me, it reads "has been used in animals for separation anxiety, for inappropriate urination in cats, for feline lower urinary tract disease, and for obsessive grooming behaviors."

Doesn't that sound perfect? Happy pill, indeed!

5 comments:

Dianne said...

thanks for the update and please do continue to let us know how she's doing. 13 is not that old - my sweet JR left us at almost 17 and was fit as a fiddle til the last year.

the anti-depressant is a good thing - when cats are ill or anxious they often develop "food aversion" - they literally start starving themselves and it's so hard to get them to eat normally again. better to avoid that possibility.

One of my cats, Sheba, got very sick and stopped eating. She wound up needing a shunt put in and I had to feed her through the tube as well as hydrate her with an IV set-up. As I said last post, I really should have my degree by now. ;)

There are treats called "pill pockets" - there's an opening for the pill and then you can smush it closed and pop it in their mouth. tickle under the chin to force the swallowing.

Good luck and hang in there.

Anonymous said...

Poor baby, I hope she feels better soon

Plain(s)feminist said...

Dianne,
Wow, you're good!

I'm lucky to have fairly tolerant cats. I am hopeful that the pilling process won't be too difficult, esp. if I can follow it up with a treat (say, brushing, which she loves and doesn't get enough of). But I may be thinking too much of dog behavior, here.

Danielle,
She is doing MUCH better. My cat peed-on items, however, are on their third treatment. I am out of Nature's Miracle.

SkippyMom said...

Oh, hugs to you. I am sorry she is so sick...I read further up and seems as tho' she will get better [yeah!] but I don't think the Bank will want her.

I did have to say...very funny line about the vitamins and fighting for social change - SO Mr. Cruise of you [snicker]

I don't have a cat - and my dog is simply too...inbred? simple? [seriously] to ever need to be on anti depressants - but it seems other people's pets have benefited [sp?]...so if it doesn't hurt?

Good luck and hugs/email if you need anything, 'kay? skippyaveo@hotmail.com

Plain(s)feminist said...

Thanks, Skippy - I'm doing well, and she is, too! I appreciate the support. :)